When at home, it is common for mobile phone users to not always carry their mobile phones, e.g., in hand, pocket etc., as they otherwise do when outside or while traveling. Sometimes the users even leave their mobile phones in a room plugged in for battery charging while they watch TV in a different room, or even in the same room. Thus at times the mobile phone user may not always be carrying the mobile phone when at home, or may intentionally not keep it handy. This may often occur during periods of TV watching. As a result, a mobile phone user may not have their mobile phone handy at all times and may be made aware of messages considerably later than if they had their telephone with them when a message was received.
Accordingly, while watching television, a mobile device user may miss messages received on the mobile device, especially when the mobile phone is kept at a farther distance or in a different room as the user will likely miss the cell phone alert signals, e.g., ringtone and/or vibration. Some messages received on the user mobile phone may be time sensitive which the user may not wish to miss. In such situations, and various other situations as well, it would be desirable to be able to receive the alerts and/or the messages, received on the user's mobile phone, on the television display itself.
In view of the above discussion, it should be appreciated that there is a need for methods and/or apparatus which would allow a mobile phone user to receive messages directed to the user's mobile phone when watching television even if the mobile phone is not readily available. It would desirable if a user could be made aware of new messages while watching television and provided an opportunity to respond to an incoming message without having to do so from his or her mobile telephone.